Digital Commons Network^™

Learning Topological Representations With Bidirectional Graph Attention Network For Solving Job Shop Scheduling Problem, Cong Zhang, Zhiguang Cao, Yaoxin Wu, Wen Song, Jing Sun

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Existing learning-based methods for solving job shop scheduling problems (JSSP) usually use off-the-shelf GNN models tailored to undirected graphs and neglect the rich and meaningful topological structures of disjunctive graphs (DGs). This paper proposes the topology-aware bidirectional graph attention network (TBGAT), a novel GNN architecture based on the attention mechanism, to embed the DG for solving JSSP in a local search framework. Specifically, TBGAT embeds the DG from a forward and a backward view, respectively, where the messages are propagated by following the different topologies of the views and aggregated via graph attention. Then, we propose a novel operator based …

Mvmoe: Multi-Task Vehicle Routing Solver With Mixture-Of-Experts, Jianan Zhou, Zhiguang Cao, Yaoxin Wu, Wen Song, Yining Ma, Jie Zhang, Chi Xu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Learning to solve vehicle routing problems (VRPs) has garnered much attention. However, most neural solvers are only structured and trained independently on a specific problem, making them less generic and practical. In this paper, we aim to develop a unified neural solver that can cope with a range of VRP variants simultaneously. Specifically, we propose a multi-task vehicle routing solver with mixture-of-experts (MVMoE), which greatly enhances the model capacity without a proportional increase in computation. We further develop a hierarchical gating mechanism for the MVMoE, delivering a good trade-off between empirical performance and computational complexity. Experimentally, our method significantly promotes …

Social-Ecological Determinants Of Affective States Among College Students: A Cross-Cultural Ecological Momentary Assessment Study, Abhishek Aggarwal

Theses and Dissertations

Background: College students experience a complex and diverse array of stressors during their college life, making them vulnerable to severe mental health issues. Momentary affective states are linked to major mental health disorders and overall well-being; however, the current social-ecological model of affect lacks a temporal dimension, failing to account for within-person dynamics of affective states over time. This study disentangles the complex temporal dynamics among the momentary, multilevel social-ecological factors and affective states in the real-world setting of college students across the United States (US) and India. However, establishing invariance of the affect model across time, people, and cultures …

Altered Sensory Processing And Pain In Youth With Sickle Cell Disease: Risk Factors And Moderators, Julia Johnston

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Youth with sickle cell disease (SCD) experience recurrent pain and increased risk for chronic pain. Neuropathic pain, characterized by alterations to the central and/or peripheral nervous systems, is not well understood among youth with SCD. Based on our current understanding of pain systems and existing literature on pain in SCD, this study aimed to elucidate psychosocial correlates of altered sensory processing (ASP) and neuropathic pain, determine biomedical risk factors contributing to the development of ASP among youth with SCD, and identify how sensory processing and biopsychosocial factors collectively influence pain experiences by assessing two plausible models. Methods: Thirty-five youth …

Unveiling The Dynamics Of Crisis Events: Sentiment And Emotion Analysis Via Multi-Task Learning With Attention Mechanism And Subject-Based Intent Prediction, Phyo Yi Win Myint, Siaw Ling Lo, Yuhao Zhang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In the age of rapid internet expansion, social media platforms like Twitter have become crucial for sharing information, expressing emotions, and revealing intentions during crisis situations. They offer crisis responders a means to assess public sentiment, attitudes, intentions, and emotional shifts by monitoring crisis-related tweets. To enhance sentiment and emotion classification, we adopt a transformer-based multi-task learning (MTL) approach with attention mechanism, enabling simultaneous handling of both tasks, and capitalizing on task interdependencies. Incorporating attention mechanism allows the model to concentrate on important words that strongly convey sentiment and emotion. We compare three baseline models, and our findings show that …

How People Prompt Generative Ai To Create Interactive Vr Scenes, Setareh Aghel Manesh, Tianyi Zhang, Yuki Onishi, Kotaro Hara, Scott Bateman, Jiannan Li, Anthony Tang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Generative AI tools can provide people with the ability to create virtual environments and scenes with natural language prompts. Yet, how people will formulate such prompts is unclear---particularly when they inhabit the environment that they are designing. For instance, it is likely that a person might say, "Put a chair here,'' while pointing at a location. If such linguistic and embodied features are common to people's prompts, we need to tune models to accommodate them. In this work, we present a Wizard of Oz elicitation study with 22 participants, where we studied people's implicit expectations when verbally prompting such programming …

The Information Content Of Financial Statement Fraud Risk: An Ensemble Learning Approach, Wei Duan, Nan Hu, Fujing Xue

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This study aims to assess the financial statement fraud risk ex ante and empirically explore its information content to help improve decision-making and daily operations. We propose an ex-ante fraud risk index by adopting an ensemble learning approach and a theoretically grounded framework. Our ensemble learning model systematically examines the fraud process and deals effectively with the unique challenges in the financial fraud setting, which yields superior prediction performance. More importantly, we empirically examine the information content of our estimated ex-ante fraud risk from the perspective of operational efficiency. Our empirical results find that the estimated ex-ante fraud risk is …

Topic Modeling On Document Networks With Dirichlet Optimal Transport Barycenter (Extended Abstract), Ce Zhang, Hady Wirawan Lauw

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Texts are often interconnected in a network structure, e.g., academic papers via citations. On the one hand, though Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) have shown promising ability to derive effective embeddings for networked documents, they do not assume latent topics, resulting in uninterpretahle embeddings. On the other hand, topic models can infer interpretable document representations. However, most topic models focus on plain text and fail to leverage network structure across documents. In this paper, we propose a GNN-based topic model that both captures network connection and derives semantically interpretable text representations. For network modeling, we build our model with Optimal Transport …

Final 2024 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) Mandan Park Soil Remedial Action Work Plan (Rawp), Mike Mcanulty

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Sexual Quality Of Life In Sexual And Gender Minority Women After Cancer, Heather Schneider Miles

Theses and Dissertations

Sexual quality of life (SQoL) is a critical aspect of well-being, encompassing physical, emotional, and social dimensions. For sexual and gender minority women (SGMW)—lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer—cancer presents unique challenges. This dissertation examined the relationships between cancer treatment symptoms, social support, and communication with the cancer care team (CCT) on SQoL among SGMW survivors of breast, gynecological, and colorectal cancers. Quantitative data from 37 participants were collected using PROMIS® measures, assessing demographics, treatment history, post-treatment symptoms, perceived social support, and communication with the CCT. Additionally, in-depth interviews with five participants provided qualitative insights into their experiences and the meaning …

Social Cognitive Factors That Contribute To Student Retention In A High School Engineering Pathway: A Longitudinal Study, Matthew Vargyas

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study investigated the cognitive factors that impacted students’ choice to continue within a high school engineering pathway, and the effect of multiple engineering courses on students’ engineering self-efficacy. Participants (N = 87) were students who completed three quantitative surveys throughout the engineering course(s) in which they were enrolled. Using the theoretical framework of Social Cognitive Career Theory, each survey measured student engineering self-efficacy, coping self-efficacy, outcome expectations, interests, persistence goals, external supports, and external barriers. Near the end of the course, students completed a qualitative, open-response questionnaire where they indicated their decision to continue in the engineering …

Understanding Cancer Grade And Survival Disparities Among Young Adults Diagnosed With Non-Hodgkin’S Lymphoma (Nhl) Residing In South Carolina, Prema S. Bhattacharjee

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction. Previous research has shown that age and cancer grade differences must be carefully considered when developing initiatives to improve outcomes for NHL among the young adult population. The aims of this study are 1) to examine differences between low vs. high grade in NHL by race/ethnicity, healthcare insurance, and geographic factors among YAs aged 18-39 years of age in South Carolina, 2) to examine delays in the first course of cancer treatment for NHL by race/ethnicity, healthcare insurance, and county of residence (urban vs. rural) among YAs aged 18-39 years of age in South Carolina, and 3) examine differences …

Design And Development Of A Direct Medium Voltage Solar Pv Resonant Inverter, Parthkumar Sureshkumar Bhuvela

Theses and Dissertations

In a grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) system connected to a medium voltage (MV) grid, an inverter is generally employed with a line frequency transformer (LFT) to connect to the grid. These LFTs are large in size and weight, exhibit high cost and losses. In recent studies, the LFTs replaced by are by (high frequency transformer) HFT embedded in DC-DC converters. These DC-DC converters are used to boost voltage levels and DC-AC inverters are employed for MV inversion. This leads to high frequency switching at MV which increases losses in inversion stage. In this study, a novel MV grid-connected solar PV inverter …

Key Cooperative Attribute-Based Encryption, Luqi Huang, Willy Susilo, Guomin Yang, Fuchun Guo

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Attribute-based encryption (ABE) is an important technology in building access control systems with precise control and scalability. In an ABE system, there exists a private key generator (PKG) that issues all private keys. The PKG has a significant drawback referred to as the huge key management burden in large-scale user systems. To overcome this limitation, we propose a more flexible system that offers users the choice to utilize decryption keys either from the PKG or from trusted users to decrypt the ciphertext, reducing the workload of the PKG. Unfortunately, users are restricted to only receiving private keys from the PKG …

Certified Robust Accuracy Of Neural Networks Are Bounded Due To Bayes Errors, Ruihan Zhang, Jun Sun

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Adversarial examples pose a security threat to many critical systems built on neural networks. While certified training improves robustness, it also decreases accuracy noticeably. Despite various proposals for addressing this issue, the significant accuracy drop remains. More importantly, it is not clear whether there is a certain fundamental limit on achieving robustness whilst maintaining accuracy. In this work, we offer a novel perspective based on Bayes errors. By adopting Bayes error to robustness analysis, we investigate the limit of certified robust accuracy, taking into account data distribution uncertainties. We first show that the accuracy inevitably decreases in the pursuit of …

Is There A Space In Landslide Susceptibility Modelling: A Case Study Of Valtellina Valley, Northern Italy, Min Naing Khant, Mei Yi Victoria Grace Ann, Tin Seong Kam

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Landslides pose significant and ever-threatening risks to human life and infrastructure worldwide. Landslide susceptibility modelling is an emerging field of research seeking to determine contributing factors of these events. Yet, previous studies rarely explored the spatial variation of different landslide factors. Hence, this study aims to demonstrate the potential contribution of spatial nonstationarity in landslide susceptibility modelling using Global Logistic Regression (GLR) and Geographically Weighted Logistic Regression (GWLR). The second objective of this study is to demonstrate the important role of data preparation, data sampling, variable sensing, and variable selections in landslide susceptibility modelling. Using Valtellina Valley in Northern Italy …

Entrypoints For Integrating Computing And Tech Into Teacher Education: Addressing Problems And Opportunities With The Encite Framework, Sara E. Vogel, Aman Yadav, David Phelps, Aankit Patel

Publications and Research

To coherently integrate computing and digital technology into teacher education, stakeholders at teacher preparation institutions must grapple with a complex landscape of problems and opportunities. This paper’s literature review maps that landscape into problems and opportunities that are (1) technological, (2) pedagogical, definitional / (3) ideological, (4) political, and (5) developmental in nature. While existing frameworks respond to particular aspects of these areas (e.g. the popular TPACK framework zooms in on technological and pedagogical questions), stakeholders engaged in curricular planning must think more holistically about how to prepare future teachers. We share EnCITE (Entrypoints to Computing Integrated Teacher Education), a …

2024 Illinois Shakespeare Festival Program, School Of Theatre And Dance

Illinois Shakespeare Festival

2024 Season. The Professional Theatre at Illinois State University, Ewing Theatre. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Sense and Sensibility by Quetta Carpenter based on the Jane Austen novel.

The Greenbook, Faculty Handbook, 2024-2025, Marshall University Academic Affairs

The Greenbook

This book has been published for the faculty of Marshall University for the specified period of time. This book was created by Academic Affairs and is for the period of 2024-2025.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) By Howard Hawkes Was Ahead Of Its Time., Irma Mosqueda Perez

Women's and Gender Studies - All Scholarship

The 1953 film by Howards Hawkes “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” gives the impression that it tries to satisfy the male gaze and objectify women; but if we take a closer look, the film responds to the feminist movements that started to brew from women’s involvement in the workplace and other areas typically reserved for men following the events of World War II.

An Evaluation Of Factors Impeding Growth On Telpas And Insights For Academic Advancement, Blanca I. De La Sierra

Education Theses and Dissertations

The study evaluates factors impeding the growth of the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) and provides crucial insights for academic advancement among English Learners (ELs) within a Texas district. Employing a mixed methods approach, the research integrates quantitative data from STAAR and TELPAS scores with qualitative insights from interviews and surveys, offering a comprehensive understanding of ELs’ academic challenges and successes. A significant improvement in STAAR reading performance from 2021 to 2023 was observed. However, TELPAS scores remained stable, indicating that improvements in reading proficiency did not fully translate into overall language proficiency gains required for reclassification. This …

Optimization Of Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells For The Treatment Of Solid Tumors, Hailey Young, Ms

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

T cells have been called the “warriors of the immune system” and for good reason. T cells have many different functions including stimulating B cells to make antibodies; suppressing the immune response when it is no longer needed; killing of foreign, pathogenic, and cancerous cells and several other functions. Despite these key immune system functions, T cells sometimes are deregulated, and this can lead to an increased risk of cancer. Therefore, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have been designed. CAR T cells are T cells that have been genetically engineered to possess a T cell receptor derived from murine, …

Comes In Waves: Clinical Overview Of Vibrio Species, Natalie M. Prosser, Ms

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Earth’s oceans, despite their beauty and vast ecosystems, pose numerous threats to marine life and humans living along the coastline. Vibrio species (spp.) is a common species of oceanic bacteria native to coastal and brackish waters. This bacterium is capable of causing various degrees of human disease among different populations. Three clinically significant species of Vibrio include Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Vibrio cholera; all three species share virulence factors, but each are capable of causing varying degrees of vibriosis infections. Vibriosis infections include but are not limited to wound infections, necrotizing fasciitis, and gastroenteritis. In particular, …

Maggot Therapy And Its Clinical Application In The War Against Microbial Resistance, Nicholas Leidy, Ms

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Antibiotic resistance poses a growing threat across the globe. The United Nations estimates that up to 10 million deaths by 2050 will be due to superbugs and antimicrobial resistance. Finding effective solutions has been obstructed by the expensive and time-intensive research and development process. Maggot therapy, however, has emerged as a promising, cost-effective approach to wound debridement or cleaning. This unconventional method takes advantage of the natural capabilities of maggots to effectively debride chronic, non-healing wounds, even those infected with multidrug-resistant bacteria. Through the utilization of proteolytic and digestive enzymes, maggots are able to break down necrotic tissue and promote …

Beyond Four Walls: Outdoor Recess As A Complement To Classroom Engagement, Valerie Mulvenna

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods study examined the impact of increased outdoor recess on elementary students' classroom engagement following the implementation of Illinois' 2021 The Right to Play Every Day Act. The study is driven by two main research questions: (1) Does increased outdoor recess influence a student’s classroom engagement? (2) What are educators' perspectives on the implementation of the Act? Quantitative data was collected through classroom observations of 16 third-grade students over six weeks, measuring on-task behavior before and after recess periods. Qualitative data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with five elementary educators. While statistical analysis yielded inconclusive results regarding the relationship …

Success Factors: English Learners Speak About What Worked For Them, Said Garaad

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This research explores the ways of improving the education of English Learners (EL). The purpose of the study was to uncover the narratives that helped their academic success and the challenges they encountered. Central to this research are the firsthand experiences of seven individuals who have navigated the transition out of EL programs. Their experiences offer valuable insights into the effective methods of instruction and environmental factors that contribute to a learner’s success. This study is focused on the experiences of former English Learner (EL) students in American K-12 education in order to determine the most effective strategies for enhancing …

Multilingual Learners’ Perceptions Of Their Home Languages Using Ruíz’S Language Orientations, Sophie Breen

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

As the number of multilingual students in classrooms grows, research suggests the positive effects of encouraging growth in both English and students’ home language(s). Many researchers have addressed how multilingualism is perceived in the classroom from the perspective of teachers and administrators, however there is a lack of information from the student perspective. This research aims to address this gap through discussing multilingual students’ perceptions of their home languages using Ruíz’s (1984) language orientations. Participants for this study included 14 English learners in ninth grade at an urban high school. Two data points were collected and analyzed, student journals and …

Exploring The Second Language Learning Experience And Its Influence On Willingness To Communicate And Language Use: A Case Study, Christopher Henchcliffe

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Henchcliffe, C. (2024). Exploring the Second Language Learning Experience and its Influence on Willingness to Communicate and Language Use: A Case Study

The research question guiding this capstone thesis is: How does the L2 learning experience in the classroom affect willingness to communicate and L2 use in adult beginner ESL students? The literature review focuses on topics such as willingness to communicate, L2 motivation, and the classroom learning experience. I also explore ways that willingness to communicate and motivation are measured. To help answer the research question, an eight-week mixed methods case study was conducted with one participant enrolled in …

Jacc: Advances Expert Panel Perspective: Shared Decision-Making In Multidisciplinary Team-Based Cardiovascular Care, Elizabeth M Perpetua, Roseanne Palmer, Viet T Le, Sana M Al-Khatib, Craig J Beavers, Joshua A Beckman, Biykem Bozkurt, Megan Coylewright, Caroline Lloyd Doherty, Kimberly A Guibone, Marian Hawkey, Patricia A Keegan, James N Kirkpatrick, Jessica Laperle, Sandra B Lauck, Glenn Levine, Brian R Lindman, Michael J Mack, Andrea L Price, Susan Strong, Janet F Wyman, Quentin R Youmans, Martha Gulati

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Shared decision-making (SDM) and multidisciplinary team-based care delivery are recommended across several cardiology clinical practice guidelines. However, evidence for benefit and guidance on implementation are limited. Informed consent, the use of patient decision aids, or the documentation of these elements for governmental or societal agencies may be conflated as SDM. SDM is a bidirectional exchange between experts: patients are the experts on their goals, values, and preferences, and clinicians provide their expertise on clinical factors. In this Expert Panel perspective, we review the current state of SDM in team-based cardiovascular care and propose best practice recommendations for multidisciplinary team implementation …

Risk Factors For Postpartum Depression And Severe Distress Among Mothers Of Very Preterm Infants At Nicu Discharge., Julie A. Hofheimer, Elisabeth C. Mcgowan, Lynne M. Smith, Samantha Meltzer-Brody, Brian S. Carter, Lynne M. Dansereau, Steven Pastyrnak, Jennifer B. Helderman, Charles R. Neal, Sheri A. Dellagrotta, Thomas Michael D O'Shea, Barry M. Lester

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVE:  To identify psychological, medical, and socioenvironmental risk factors for maternal postpartum depression (PPD) and severe psychological distress (SPD) at intensive care nursery discharge among mothers of very preterm infants.

STUDY DESIGN:  We studied 562 self-identified mothers of 641 infants born(NOVI) conducted in nine university-affiliated intensive care nurseries. Enrollment interviews collected socioenvironmental data, depression, and anxiety diagnoses prior to and during the study pregnancy. Standardized medical record reviews ascertained prenatal substance use, maternal and neonatal medical complications. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and Brief Symptom Inventory were administered at nursery discharge to screen for PPD and SPD symptoms, respectively.

RESULTS: …